Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. He absolutely may follow up with me if he wishes. Flexibility is important but there is obviously a policy that needs to be followed closely. The specific transport issues the Chairman mentioned are under the remit of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, but I can find out the information for the Chairman and come back to him. On the transition from primary to secondary school, there are practices in place in schools. A designated teacher from a post-primary school may visit the primary schools to discuss issues and share information. Specific information is available on open days for post-primary schools. There are also dedicated induction activities during the first week of term. There are organised meet-and-greet sessions for parents of first-year pupils to share information. The National Council for Special Education also has guidelines on transition. The Department provides continuing professional development, CPD, for staff regarding special educational needs. We can, of course, revert to the Chairman of the transport issue if he does not want to get into detail in a public forum.